On the 9^th of April 2011, the 28^th Board of Directors Meeting of the Association of East Asian Research Universities (AEARU) was held at NTHU. The meeting featured some probing discussions and exchanges and, Board members as a group made plans for the association's upcoming events.

A University Presidents' Forum on Higher Education was held in conjunction with the celebration of NTHU's centennial anniversary, and all of the AEARU Board of Directors were invited to take part and share their views on innovative approaches in higher education. This University Presidents' Forum opened with a keynote speech by former Premier of the Executive Yuan and the current Head of the General Association of Chinese Culture (GACC), Dr. Chao-Shiuan Liu. In his speech entitled 'The Renaissance of Chinese Culture', Dr. Liu talked about the major influence that China's rapid development is having on the world as a whole. The ascent of China is the result of its growing economic power and of the changing demand and supply pattern; therefore, its growth should be credited mainly to economic factors. He went on to discuss the importance for Chinese leaders to discover the core spirit and essence of Chinese culture in order to provide significant contributions to the international community. He believes that such an approach should be in consistence with 'wandao' (the way of a sage king), a philosophical approach proposed by Mencius during the Warring States Period in China. Dr. Liu urged that the spirit of 'wandao' should be adapted and China should exercise its power and economic influence to establish a new world oFrder. Specifically, China should provide aids to other countries that require assistance and demonstrate the 'wandao' spirit that emphasis kindness, fairness and justice.

Dr. Liu indicated that Chinese culture is best preserved in Taiwan. In addition, Taiwan has accepted many immigrants from overseas and it is experienced in embracing different cultures. Therefore, Taiwan is well-prepared and has all the required qualifications to play a critical role in the renaissance of Chinese culture.

Representatives from other universities shared their experiences of innovative measures in the fiercely competitive environment of higher education. President Chen explained how NTHU plays a critical role in Taiwan's higher education system and how NTHU is able to cultivate diverse abilities among its students by discussing the measures and policies NTHU has established. These include such initiatives as the Points of Thousand Light Program; the first to adopt a letter grade system for assessing academic performance; the establishment of the Tsing Hua College; and the provision of scholarships to aid students from less privileged backgrounds.

HKUST President, Dr. Fenchang Chen talked about the restructuring process that his university is undergoing by using the example of a new four-year undergraduate degree program about to be implemented on his campus. He said that HKUST is gradually providing a more diverse learning environment with greater flexibility, and the offering of more interdisciplinary subjects. Through the new four-year undergraduate degree program, he believes that more time and opportunity will be made available to train students with a broader range of experiences and more diverse cultural literacy.

Reflecting upon the recent disaster in Japan, Prof. Hiroshi Matsumoto, President of Kyoto University, expressed his concerns over the rapidly diminishing natural resources. He said that given our increasing selfish demands, mankind must find a balance to co-exist with the nature. Whilst technological advancement itself is not inherently wrong, Prof. Matsumoto said that special study in universities should focus on these fundamental issues, and all universities should strive to cultivate students to have a well-developed sense of responsibility and new understanding of the relationship between humanity and the nature.

Prof. Kiichiro Tsuji, Vice President of Osaka University, shared with the audience the curricula reforms that Osaka has recently under taken. The reform is focused on cultivating interdisciplinary learning capabilities and communication skills. Associate Dean Seongho Sheen from Seoul National the University talked about his university's proactive approach in planning various voluntary service activities for students and how such activities equip them with a greater understanding of the contemporary world. Dr. Sheen further emphasized that innovative measures to foster a greater sense of social responsibility is a critical issue in contemporary higher education that requires university administers' constant attention!

Wei-He Xie, Vice President of Tsing Hua University (THU), said that NTHU and THU share the same origin and a common ambition to become world-class universities. Currently, China and many other societies are all caught up in conflicts between globalization and localization; between the public interest and market economy; and between maintenance of traditions and the pursuit of innovative development. To deal with these three issues, it is important that universities today should focus on training their students with the ability to think independently, and an international outlook together with the ability to innovate.

To conclude the forum, Professor Xu Cheng from Peking University talked about the 'Tsai Yuan-pei Project' which is currently undergoing pilot testing at his university. This project also emphasizes flexibility in course selection, selection of majors and time of graduation.